---
title: 'VP of Supply-Fleet Recruitment at Quartermaster'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/vp-of-supply-fleet-recruitment-quartermaster-new-york-jx7vs2ppd95y'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-14'
---

# VP of Supply-Fleet Recruitment at Quartermaster

- **Company:** Quartermaster
- **Location:** New York, NY
- **Compensation:** $210k–$250k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-09-29
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-14
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/quartermaster/6b03ad86-d719-4554-b7db-a5c3dccb79b8

## Job description

## About the role

Quartermaster is building the most comprehensive real-time picture of activity on the world's oceans. We do it by placing next-generation sensing equipment aboard commercial ships and turning the global fleet itself into a living network that illuminates the maritime domain in ways legacy AIS never could. Better maritime domain awareness means safer mariners, more secure sea lanes, and an ocean that can no longer go dark. Every vessel we bring onto the network extends that picture a little further. But the network only exists if ships join it. This role owns that mission end to end: enlisting the right vessels across every ship type and every region we operate in. This includes: finding them, winning over their owners, closing the agreements, and stewarding the relationships that keep them contributing to the picture for the long haul. This role is also, deliberately, a building role. Today the effort is carried by a disaggregated team scattered around the world. Your job is to forge them into a world-class recruiting organization that keeps pace as the network grows from a handful of vessels today toward the thousands we intend to field over the next few years — and to make joining Quartermaster something owners and mariners want to be part of, not just a contract they sign.

- Build the machine that scales vessel recruiting. Everything from finding vessels, to qualifying and signing them as partners, to managing the long-term relationship must be engineered into a resilient, repeatable process — not heroics.
- Proactively hire for upcoming needs: Synchronize recruiting with the growth team's push and with shifting global maritime requirements, so supply is never responsible for holding coverage back.
- 0 to 1 team build out: Determine the team you need by ship type, region, stage of recruitment etc, and iterate upon as we scale.
- Create Subject matter experts in every vessel type across the team so no segment is a blind spot and our talent bar remains high as we add new teammates.
- Act as a player/coach: Hire, onboard, and hold the team to the outcomes below. At scale these are delivered through the people you build, not by you closing every deal yourself.

## What you'll actually do

- Identify and win the right vessels. Work from a prioritized list of high-value target vessels, reach out to their owners and operators, and sign them as fleet partners.
- Build and personally carry the relationships. Be the individual that owners, operators, and their technical managers trust, across commercial maritime markets worldwide.
- Negotiate and close the agreements.
- Pipeline capacity full: Ensure there are always enough signed, qualified vessels ready to go, so installations never stall waiting for a vessel.

Outcomes you'll own

- Coverage growth. The right vessels join the network at the pace our growth plan requires.
- Running cost per vessel. Support, connectivity, and upkeep that make up the network's recurring cost base.
- Recruiting quality. A fleet weighted toward the highest-value vessels, not filler.
- The team. A recruiting organization capable of delivering all of the above at scale.

The archetype we're hiring for We care less about maritime pedigree than about a specific kind of operator. The person we want is someone who has scaled the supply side of a marketplace from 0 to 1, launched new markets on the ground, and turned chaotic, one-off deal-making into a repeatable acquisition machine.

- Zero to one market growth. You've walked into a new city, region, or segment with no template, stood up supply on the ground, and left behind a playbook others could run.
- Built the machine, not just the deals. You've turned relationship-driven, artisanal acquisition into a measured funnel — with clear metrics, tooling, and process behind every stage.
- Zero to one: Building and leading global field teams. You've hired, trained, and managed distributed acquisition or recruiting team and held them to hard targets.
- Data-driven and relentless. You run on numbers: funnel conversion, cost of acquisition, cohort economics, and you operate with urgency and total ownership.
- Maritime experience is a plus, not a prerequisite. We can teach you about the maritime industry and current playbooks; we can't teach the instinct for scaling supply. If you bring shipping-sector depth on top of the profile above, even better.

## Qualifications

- A track record building 0 to 1 on the supply side of a marketplace or a field-based acquisition operation, including: driver, courier, host, seller, or carrier recruitment, including launching inaugural markets from a standing start.
- Proven team-builder, has recruited, hired, and scaled a field, acquisition, or recruiting team, ideally from zero, and led it to measurable results.
- A gift for turning ambiguous, relationship-driven acquisition into a repeatable, data-driven process.
- Comfortable owning cost and unit economics
- Maritime or shipping experience welcome but not required — we'll teach the sector.

## Nice to have

- Scaled marketplace supply. You've grown the supply side of a two-sided marketplace — drivers, couriers, hosts, sellers, carriers — owning ambitious acquisition targets and hitting them.

Location & travel New York City. Expect significant international travel (50-75%) to owners, ship managers, and ports around the world, and to stand up recruiting in new markets as they open.

## About Quartermaster

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Quartermaster builds a real-time, distributed maritime awareness network by equipping vessels with AI-powered sensor packages (SmartMast) and an analytics platform.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series A)
- **Headquarters**: Arlington, Virginia, United States
- **Founded**: 2023
- **Founders**: Neil Sobin (CEO)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Maritime intelligence, defense technology, AI/robotics, ocean sensing
- **Target customers**: Governments (navies, coast guards), commercial shipping operators, insurers, and maritime researchers (B2G, B2B)
- **Mission**: “Connect every vessel on the water to create a comprehensive, real-time picture of our oceans, unlocking critical data insights that underpin a prosperous global maritime ecosystem.” [quartermaster.us](https://www.quartermaster.us/about)

## Products & Services
- **SmartMast**: A weather-hardened hardware package (cameras, radios, sensors) mounted on a ship’s mast that continuously collects and relays maritime data. Combined with an AI analytics platform, it provides real-time vessel identification, anomaly detection, and environmental monitoring. [techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/20/this-startup-raised-43m-to-build-a-hive-mind-for-ships/)
- **Quartermaster Analytics Platform**: Cloud-based software that ingests SmartMast data and applies computer vision and machine learning to generate actionable intelligence for fleet operators, insurers, and government agencies.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed
- **Key Metric**: $43 million in Series A funding (announced May 20, 2026) [techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/20/this-startup-raised-43m-to-build-a-hive-mind-for-ships/)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Co-led by First Round Capital and Quiet Capital, with participation from TMV, Steel Atlas, BoxGroup, Operator Partners, Shorewind Capital, and David (surname not specified). Key hires from Anduril (Steve Ribaudo as CGO) and Scale AI (Matt Beck as COO). [quartermaster.us](https://www.quartermaster.us/about) | [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/quartermasterai)
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Headcount grew 625% year-over-year to 40 employees (as of mid-2026). [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/quartermasterai)
  - Over 600 ships equipped with SmartMast, covering 10 million square miles of ocean. [techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/20/this-startup-raised-43m-to-build-a-hive-mind-for-ships/)
  - Assisted in “over 20 rescues of mariners at sea.” [techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/20/this-startup-raised-43m-to-build-a-hive-mind-for-ships/)
  - Operates in 7 countries (Panama, Colombia, South Korea, UAE, Brazil, Taiwan, United States). [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/quartermasterai)

## Competitive Advantages
- **Proprietary hardware edge**: SmartMast is far more advanced than the standard AIS (Automatic Identification System), which is opt-in and easily spoofed. Quartermaster’s sensors provide persistent, verified, real-time data that is less susceptible to fraud. [techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/20/this-startup-raised-43m-to-build-a-hive-mind-for-ships/)
- **Pro-mariner incentive model**: Rather than selling sensors to fleet operators (a tough sell in a low-margin industry), Quartermaster creates value for mariners (e.g., rescue support, safety data) to encourage voluntary adoption, locking in network effects. [techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/20/this-startup-raised-43m-to-build-a-hive-mind-for-ships/)
- **First-mover in distributed ocean sensing**: No other company has deployed a real-time, AI-powered sensor constellation at this scale, giving Quartermaster a data moat and early relationships with governments and commercial fleets.

## Strategic Focus
- **Engineering hiring**: A large portion of the $43M Series A is earmarked for hiring engineers (RF, software, AI, systems) to accelerate product development. [techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/20/this-startup-raised-43m-to-build-a-hive-mind-for-ships/)
- **Fleet expansion**: Continue equipping more vessels with SmartMast, especially in key maritime corridors, to densify the network.
- **New applications**: Developing uses for government intelligence, marine autonomy training data, environmental monitoring, and insurance risk assessment.
- **Global presence**: Scaling operations in Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East (already in 7 countries). [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/quartermasterai)

## Why Work Here
- **High-impact mission**: Directly contribute to ocean safety, security, and sustainability – work that has tangible real-world results (e.g., rescues at sea).
- **Fast-growing startup**: 625% YoY headcount growth; employees have significant ownership and influence over product direction.
- **Engineering culture**: “A single engineer can make a significant impact in relatively short periods of time” because the ocean space is largely untapped. [techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/20/this-startup-raised-43m-to-build-a-hive-mind-for-ships/)
- **Remote-friendly**: Some roles (e.g., “Opportunity Hire”) are listed as remote, though the HQ in Arlington, VA likely expects hybrid for core engineering teams. [quartermaster.us](https://www.quartermaster.us/jobs/opportunity-hire)
- **Diverse, inclusive environment**: Equal opportunity employer that encourages individuals of all backgrounds to apply. [quartermaster.us](https://www.quartermaster.us/jobs/opportunity-hire)
- **Notable perks**: Not explicitly listed, but the company emphasizes pro-mariner values and a collaborative, mission-driven culture.

## Sources
1. [quartermaster.us/about](https://www.quartermaster.us/about)
2. [techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/20/this-startup-raised-43m-to-build-a-hive-mind-for-ships/)
3. [linkedin.com/company/quartermasterai](https://www.linkedin.com/company/quartermasterai)
4. [quartermaster.us/jobs/opportunity-hire](https://www.quartermaster.us/jobs/opportunity-hire)
5. [jobs.ashbyhq.com/quartermaster](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/quartermaster)

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